Using laser optoelectronics to project video and images is a new display technology. Although the idea of using laser diodes for displays has been discussed for a long time, prohibitive cost and safety issues prevented the development of laser televisions and projectors.
Further, because laser displays are of a rear-projection type, laser displays require a large distance between the projector and the screen. The required distance between the projector and screen increases as the size of the screen in increased. This renders the depth of laser TVs and displays larger than that of LCD or plasma TVs and displays of competing size.
Micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) are used for fabricating scanning systems in optical display devices such as TVs and projectors. With the increase in image resolution, projection and display technologies are also advancing. For example, the high definition TV standard requires displays and projectors having a much higher scanning speed than that for standard definition.
However, existing MEMS projectors are not suitable for high definition image and video projection. High definition MEMS projectors require very fast moving micromirrors which are not energy efficient.
Additionally, most MEMS devices are made from silicon, which tend to break when subjected to rapid oscillations. These devices are at least deformed to a large extent during operation resulting in optical aberrations and unsatisfactory projection quality for high definition projection. Therefore, there is a need to strengthen silicon devices for them to withstand the operating mode for high definition projection.